My father was in WW2, stationed in Hawaii after Pearl Harbor, a Navy Postmaster sargent. He never saw any action.His older brother in WW2, was infantry in Europe, stories of hidding in foxholes with shells going off all around.My father-in-law in WW2 was infantry in France....stories of bullets wizzing past his ears, and then there were the ladies.My father's younger brother was infantry in the Korean war.My cousin retired from USAF, a chaplin. He served in Vietnam.

On my mother's side, they were the eneny in Europe in WW2.My mother's brother was a German sniper, for all we know shooting those wizzing bullets at my father-in-law. After his second war wound, he was sent back injured and never heard from again.My mother's brother-in-law was a radio repairman for the Luftwaffe, POW'd on the US side and made donuts for US troups till the end of the war.

My Mom's family were German farmers in WW2, living pretty much in isolation. They never learned much about the war until long after it was over. They scrammed when the Russians invaded. They eventually came to the USA where my mother and father met in the mid 50's when their parents, my grandparents from both sides reunited from a pre-WW2 relationship in Germany.

Great grandpa on Mom's side was in the spanish american war, after I came back to the states in '82 grandma told me after she got my new address, that I was in the same Infantry Battalion as great grandpa. He went on to be the town mayor and a state Senator.

Grandpa on Dad's side was in WW1, as I said Dad was in WW2, 2 Uncles on Mom's side were in Korea durring the war and one stayed in for a while after.Three brothers were in Vietnam, two in the Air force, one in the Army.Me I went into the Army in 1979 at 19, was told that I scored high enought to get any job I wanted, while looking at the jobs I was told that if I joined up for 4 years and was Infantry I would get a $3,000 bonus, and all I saw was dollar signs lol. Turns out that I loved it, first two years in Germany, BOY talk about a eye opener for a boy right off the farm!!!!!After that I was in for Grenada,Panama and ,the Persian Gulf War, I guess the body was done after that I blew out two disks in my back.

I don't think great grandpa was hurt, grandpa was in a wheelchair, he got shot in the lower back in the ardennes forest he was a Marine. Dad was 10% disabled, one uncle I don't know the % but he uses the VA, one brother is 30% and is trying to get more, he has proven that he was sprayed with agent orange ,me 70% for my back and I have no feeling down to my knee on the right leg the left is numb down to the toes, there are days that I fall out of bed and crawl on all fours till the pain pills kick in, and both dogs and six cats love it, Play time..............right.

Both great grandpa and grandps were Infantry, dad was a Flight Engineer, one uncal was a mp, the other was in commo, two brothers were air force, one was Missle Systems Electrical Maintenance, the other was aircraft Maintenance, the brother that was in the Army was a combat Engineer.

I noticed a mention of Agent Orange, so I thought I'm mention something about it. As far as I know, being sprayed with AO doesn't qualify for disability, BUT there are many conditions related to AO exposure that do. For example, I have Type II Diabetes and had prostate cancer, which are "presumed" to be due to AO exposure. You qualify if you were in Viet Nam during certain years as shown on your DD214. If you then develop these conditions, you can receive disability benefits. The VA still has to determine the extent of your continuing disability, but not that it was actually caused by the AO exposure. If you were in country during the war, you might want to browse through the VA website and read what conditions are attributed to AO. By the way, in the case of diabetes you might even qualify for back benefits dating from when it was diagnosed.

I remember a motto painted on the blast door of a Minuteman Missile Silo Launch Control Center which I toured somewhere in the Dakotas. "The first one on time and on target or the second one is FREE!" Go Missiliers!